Like all regions around the world, Sub-Saharan Africa is home to an innumerable number of affairs that troubles those within the area of the African continent south of the Sahara desert. Some issues have taken their toll upon the region more so than others. Out of them, the two rampant issues that sub-Saharan Africa currently faces are corruption and predominance of AIDS.
Major Issues
Corruption
"Of the ten countries considered most corrupt in the world, six are in sub-Saharan Africa, according to Transparency International, a leading global watchdog on corruption." (Hanson)
Following the achievement of continental independence, Africa's soil has been tainted by poverty, conflict and corruption. Widespread poverty is largely evident in sub-Saharan Africa as factors including the poor management of land, misuse of money, undereducated population, disease, absence of effective infrastructure and conflict all contribute to the prominent destitution. Conflict arise from regional disagreements among neighboring countries, and militias, under no direct governmental command, commit heinous crimes that appall humanitarians. Corruption, known explicitly to be of second nature in Africa, is the driving force of both poverty and conflict.
A 2002 African Union study estimated that corruption cost the continent roughly $150 billion a year. To compare, developed countries gave $22.5 billion in aid to sub-Saharan Africa in 2008, according to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. (Hanson)
Corruption ranges from high-level political graft on a scale of millions of dollars to petty bribes given to local officials. Political corruption accounts for the largest financial blow to a country situated in Africa. Local bribes, although far smaller in magnitude, cut down on a nation's prosperity and as well as undermine the public trust in the government. According to the 2009 East African Bribery Index, over half of the East Africans stated that they had to pay bribes in order to access public services. Under normal circumstances, these services would be free of charge.
"If you attack corruption, it's the best way to attack poverty." -- Nuhu Ribadu, former head of Nigeria's anti-corruption commission
Aside from the immediate financial problems, if corruption goes unaddressed, it can cause unrest and violence as well. In the Niger Delta, the insurgency there is supported by claims of governmental corruption as local communities proclaim that they are not able to see noticeable benefits from the oil extraction taking place on their territories. The insurgency can be seen as a reasonable reaction, however, as profits are directly channeled towards government officials instead.
Here is a cartoon criticizing the effects of President Mugabe's destructive reforms.
Furthermore, corruption, both big and small, greatly hinders efforts to hold legitimate elections. Political candidates often come down to levels where they buy votes or falsify electoral results. According to Paul Collier, an economist, "[They] are more reliable and less difficult ways of winning an election than trying to gain voter approval by being a good government." Robert Mugabe, the current president of Zimbabwe, has held office since 1987. This video thoroughly explains how Mugabe has been able to hold office for nearly 22 years.
This is not to say that political corruption is thriving without any opposition. African governments have made efforts to stop corruption, over the past ten years, with mixed results. Backed up by international financiers, countries such as Liberia, Rwanda and Tanzania have achieved reasonable progress, while several, like Ghana, have kept up clean records. However, many other nations, including Nigeria, Kenya and South Africa, have yet to show any noticeable progress. The three countries have all established anti-corruption agencies, which, unfortunately, deemed ineffective and were disintegrated by government heads.
"You want to create millions of auditors in the country." -- Daniel Kaufmann, former director of the World Bank Institute's work on governance and anti-corruption
Upon seeing that many sub-Saharan nations proved unable to efficiently root out corruption, experts have come up with a number of methods to battle the prevalent graft. As previously mentioned, creating anti-corruption agencies is one. As with several nations, such as Kenya, they brought minimal results and were quick to be disbanded. Another method in fighting corruption is the strengthening of existing institutions. Most local authorities, even police officers, receive bribes. If such institutional gap holes are patched up, the corrosive effect of local graft will be drastically cut down. Last but not least, reducing dependency on foreign aid is another proposed means. Through the encouragement of the accountability of donors instead of citizens, foreign aid, instead, inadvertently aids corruption and breaks the underlying relationship between a state and its people.
AIDS Predominance
An astonishing two thirds of all the people infected with HIV live in sub-Saharan Africa. Furthermore, three quarters of all AIDS related deaths have taken place in the region as well. With about 1.9 newly infected people in 2007, as of now, there are more than roughly 26 million people living with AIDS.
Southern Africa has a very high concentration of HIV infected adults.
To generalize that the rate of HIV infections within sub-Saharan Africa is evenly spread out is very incorrect. Varying in both scale and range, certain patches of the continent, specifically the west and central regions, have as low as 2% adult HIV prevalence, while other areas, especially those near the southern tip of the continent, exceed 15%. The eastern shores have a comparatively smaller number of infections, as HIV prevalence has seemingly been abated.
The spread of AIDS has been faster in southern, poorer regions of sub-Saharan Africa.
The AIDS epidemic in Africa has stabilized, however, but at exceeding levels. There is a drastic difference between the number of infected between the sexes, as females are much more affected in comparison to males. In countries such as Lesotho and Mozambique, women have been subject to increasing HIV prevalence. A startling 20% and above of HIV infected adults has been seen in certain provinces in the central and southern regions, as new inflections constantly occur among young people between the ages of 15 and 24.
Life expectancy among several countries have drastically dropped due to AIDS.
The common means of HIV transmission in sub-Saharan Africa are heterosexual and homosexual intercourse, sex work and drug use. The greatest factor contributing to the constant number of HIV infections, heterosexual intercourse has brought about the largest number of HIV infected children in the world. Sexual intercourse with respect to serodiscordant couples, where only one partner is infected, is a widespread phenomenon; nearly 90% of the surveyed couples neglected condom use. More than half of the women surveyed were infected by someone other than their present partner. As of recent times, new cases have shown that unprotected anal sex between men may prove to be much more of a crucial factor than previously considered. In the country of Zambia, one in three surveyed sexually active male homosexuals tested HIV-positive. Very high levels of transmissions were also recorded in the Kenyan port city of Mombasa, where 43% of men, who said that they had sex only with other men, were discovered to be living with HIV. In terms of sex work, more than 35% of female sex workers in Mali, who have been surveyed in 2006, were living with HIV. However, prostitution plays a lesser role in the transmission of HIV in southern Africa, where high background prevalence still causes infections during sexual intercourse unrelated to sex work. HIV epidemics in the eastern and southern portions of Africa have been fueled by contaminated injecting equipment. A staggering 50% of drug users tested for HIV came back positive.
Citation
Corruption:
Hanson, Stephanie. "Corruption in Sub-Saharan Africa - Council on Foreign Relations." Council on Foreign Relations. 6 Aug. 2009. 30 Oct. 2009 <http://www.cfr.org/publication/19984/>.
Prevailing Issues within Sub-Saharan Africa
Like all regions around the world, Sub-Saharan Africa is home to an innumerable number of affairs that troubles those within the area of the African continent south of the Sahara desert. Some issues have taken their toll upon the region more so than others. Out of them, the two rampant issues that sub-Saharan Africa currently faces are corruption and predominance of AIDS.
Major Issues
Corruption
"Of the ten countries considered most corrupt in the world, six are in sub-Saharan Africa, according to Transparency International, a leading global watchdog on corruption." (Hanson)
Following the achievement of continental independence, Africa's soil has been tainted by poverty, conflict and corruption. Widespread poverty is largely evident in sub-Saharan Africa as factors including the poor management of land, misuse of money, undereducated population, disease, absence of effective infrastructure and conflict all contribute to the prominent destitution. Conflict arise from regional disagreements among neighboring countries, and militias, under no direct governmental command, commit heinous crimes that appall humanitarians. Corruption, known explicitly to be of second nature in Africa, is the driving force of both poverty and conflict.
A 2002 African Union study estimated that corruption cost the continent roughly $150 billion a year. To compare, developed countries gave $22.5 billion in aid to sub-Saharan Africa in 2008, according to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. (Hanson)
Corruption ranges from high-level political graft on a scale of millions of dollars to petty bribes given to local officials. Political corruption accounts for the largest financial blow to a country situated in Africa. Local bribes, although far smaller in magnitude, cut down on a nation's prosperity and as well as undermine the public trust in the government. According to the 2009 East African Bribery Index, over half of the East Africans stated that they had to pay bribes in order to access public services. Under normal circumstances, these services would be free of charge.
"If you attack corruption, it's the best way to attack poverty." -- Nuhu Ribadu, former head of Nigeria's anti-corruption commission
Aside from the immediate financial problems, if corruption goes unaddressed, it can cause unrest and violence as well. In the Niger Delta, the insurgency there is supported by claims of governmental corruption as local communities proclaim that they are not able to see noticeable benefits from the oil extraction taking place on their territories. The insurgency can be seen as a reasonable reaction, however, as profits are directly channeled towards government officials instead.
Furthermore, corruption, both big and small, greatly hinders efforts to hold legitimate elections. Political candidates often come down to levels where they buy votes or falsify electoral results. According to Paul Collier, an economist, "[They] are more reliable and less difficult ways of winning an election than trying to gain voter approval by being a good government." Robert Mugabe, the current president of Zimbabwe, has held office since 1987. This video thoroughly explains how Mugabe has been able to hold office for nearly 22 years.
This is not to say that political corruption is thriving without any opposition. African governments have made efforts to stop corruption, over the past ten years, with mixed results. Backed up by international financiers, countries such as Liberia, Rwanda and Tanzania have achieved reasonable progress, while several, like Ghana, have kept up clean records. However, many other nations, including Nigeria, Kenya and South Africa, have yet to show any noticeable progress. The three countries have all established anti-corruption agencies, which, unfortunately, deemed ineffective and were disintegrated by government heads.
"You want to create millions of auditors in the country." -- Daniel Kaufmann, former director of the World Bank Institute's work on governance and anti-corruption
Upon seeing that many sub-Saharan nations proved unable to efficiently root out corruption, experts have come up with a number of methods to battle the prevalent graft. As previously mentioned, creating anti-corruption agencies is one. As with several nations, such as Kenya, they brought minimal results and were quick to be disbanded. Another method in fighting corruption is the strengthening of existing institutions. Most local authorities, even police officers, receive bribes. If such institutional gap holes are patched up, the corrosive effect of local graft will be drastically cut down. Last but not least, reducing dependency on foreign aid is another proposed means. Through the encouragement of the accountability of donors instead of citizens, foreign aid, instead, inadvertently aids corruption and breaks the underlying relationship between a state and its people.
AIDS Predominance
An astonishing two thirds of all the people infected with HIV live in sub-Saharan Africa. Furthermore, three quarters of all AIDS related deaths have taken place in the region as well. With about 1.9 newly infected people in 2007, as of now, there are more than roughly 26 million people living with AIDS.
To generalize that the rate of HIV infections within sub-Saharan Africa is evenly spread out is very incorrect. Varying in both scale and range, certain patches of the continent, specifically the west and central regions, have as low as 2% adult HIV prevalence, while other areas, especially those near the southern tip of the continent, exceed 15%. The eastern shores have a comparatively smaller number of infections, as HIV prevalence has seemingly been abated.
The AIDS epidemic in Africa has stabilized, however, but at exceeding levels. There is a drastic difference between the number of infected between the sexes, as females are much more affected in comparison to males. In countries such as Lesotho and Mozambique, women have been subject to increasing HIV prevalence. A startling 20% and above of HIV infected adults has been seen in certain provinces in the central and southern regions, as new inflections constantly occur among young people between the ages of 15 and 24.
The common means of HIV transmission in sub-Saharan Africa are heterosexual and homosexual intercourse, sex work and drug use. The greatest factor contributing to the constant number of HIV infections, heterosexual intercourse has brought about the largest number of HIV infected children in the world. Sexual intercourse with respect to serodiscordant couples, where only one partner is infected, is a widespread phenomenon; nearly 90% of the surveyed couples neglected condom use. More than half of the women surveyed were infected by someone other than their present partner. As of recent times, new cases have shown that unprotected anal sex between men may prove to be much more of a crucial factor than previously considered. In the country of Zambia, one in three surveyed sexually active male homosexuals tested HIV-positive. Very high levels of transmissions were also recorded in the Kenyan port city of Mombasa, where 43% of men, who said that they had sex only with other men, were discovered to be living with HIV. In terms of sex work, more than 35% of female sex workers in Mali, who have been surveyed in 2006, were living with HIV. However, prostitution plays a lesser role in the transmission of HIV in southern Africa, where high background prevalence still causes infections during sexual intercourse unrelated to sex work. HIV epidemics in the eastern and southern portions of Africa have been fueled by contaminated injecting equipment. A staggering 50% of drug users tested for HIV came back positive.
Citation
Corruption:
Hanson, Stephanie. "Corruption in Sub-Saharan Africa - Council on Foreign Relations." Council on Foreign Relations. 6 Aug. 2009. 30 Oct. 2009 <http://www.cfr.org/publication/19984/>.
Robert Mugabe:
"YouTube - Zimbabwe's President Robert Mugabe." YouTube - Broadcast Yourself.. 31 Oct. 2009 <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eFgwuqQXHpE>.
Cartoon Showing President Robert Mugabe:
http://dekerivers.files.wordpress.com/2008/03/mugabe-cartoon1.jpg
Main chunk of info about HIV:
"Sub-Saharan Africa ." UNAIDS: The Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS . 31 Oct. 2009 <http://www.unaids.org/en/CountryResponses/Regions/SubSaharanAfrica.asp>.
Relation between poverty and AIDS:
http://www.undp.org/hiv/publications/issues/english/issue27e.html
Life expectancy graph:
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/50/Life_expectancy_in_some_Southern_African_countries_1958_to_2003.png
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